This invention relates to microelectromechanical system (MEMS) switches, and more particularly, to a MEMS switch using stepped actuation.
The use of microelectromechanical (MEMS) switches has been found to be advantageous over traditional solid-state switches. For example, MEMS switches have been found to have superior power efficiency, low insertion loss, and excellent electrical isolation. However, for certain high-speed applications such as RF transmission/receiving, MEMS switches are in general too slow for many applications. This is primarily due to the speed of a MEMS switch being limited by its resonance frequency. To improve the speed of the MEMS switch, the stiffness of the MEMS structure must be increased. However, stiff structures require higher actuation voltages for the switching action to occur.
One possible solution is to simply reduce the gap between the structure and the actuation electrode. However, this is problematical because this will degrade electrical isolation.